Jump Forward
by Lady Vai
Summary: After an accident George Fayne ends up in a different time. How will she adjust to all the superheroes around?


Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters within. The Avengers and any other superheroes mentioned belong to Marvel. Most other people belong to Simon and Schuster. The Atlanteans have names from the comics for authenticity, but are original characters.

N/A: This occurred to me while I was watering trees, I have no idea why. I wrote this chapter a while ago so future chapters will probably have a slightly different writing style. Let me know if you like it and I should continue!

One afternoon, Nancy, Bess, and George were investigating a supposedly magical artifact on board an old and decrepit yacht named Saturna. All were wearing slacks, jackets to keep out the wind, life-vests, and sensible shoes. Nancy and Bess also had scarves tied around their necks, but George had gone without.

They were up on the deck, looking at the curious object. It was metal and perfectly round, except for a circular depression about the size of a quarter on one side. George and Nancy examined the object closer while Bess kept watch. The girls had taken a motor boat out to the yacht after the owner had denied them permission to investigate.

Nancy hesitantly reached out and touched it. Nothing happened. "Hmm. That's a bit of a disappointment," she mused.

George picked it up. "Maybe you have to touch the hole-" she started before she tripped on a coiled-up rope and stumbled into the unmaintained side of the yacht, which gave way and sent her tumbling over the edge. While she was falling, she reflexively clutched onto the object and one of her fingers slipped into the depression. A bright flash of light surrounded her, and she closed her eyes just as she hit the water.

When she got back to the surface, she looked around, expecting to find Nancy and Bess rushing to help her. Instead, the yacht was nowhere in sight, the sun was just rising, and the water was much colder. She couldn't make out the shore, even though it should have been not too far.

"Okay, George. You probably just got caught in a current or something. That took you around the world in a few minutes? Who am I kidding? This thing must have brought me here, wherever here is."

George kicked off her shoes and tucked the object into her shirt. She then started swimming a side stroke away from the sun, hoping that the shore was in that direction.

After swimming for what felt like hours, but probably was less than one judging by the sun's position, George's teeth were chattering in the cold water. She knew that she was in danger if she didn't warm up soon, but there was still no sign of anything but water.

Just as she was giving up hope and starting to resign herself to death, the water started bubbling right next to her. She treaded water as a submersible of some kind came to the surface. The design looked completely unlike any other that she had seen, so she guessed it was Atlantean.

A hatch on top opened and a young man, handsome but with blue skin, looked at her. He was wearing a mask that supplied him with water so she confirmed her prediction. The man looked surprised to see her, and quickly hopped into the water and swam over to her.

He held out his arm and she tried to grab it, but her arms didn't seem to be cooperating any more. The man said something in alarm, but she couldn't understand the language. He swam forward and tucked her under one of his arms and swam back to the ship. She was amazed at how swiftly he could swim, even towing her.

He yelled at the craft and another, older, man came out also wearing a mask. They had a short conversation, and then the older man lifted her out of the water. They brought her into their ship, which had the appearance of recently being drained of water. The first man grabbed a blanket of an unfamiliar material and wrapped it around her gently while the second man headed over to a control panel.

As George started to warm up, she came to a realization about how odd this was. Atlanteans hadn't been in contact with the surface world since the late 40s. Another thing that astonished George was how high-tech their ship looked. Atlantean technology must be decades ahead of human.

The man who had gone to the control panel had brought up a picture on a screen that he was talking to, and it was talking back! The other figure was Atlantean as well, although it was a female. The two seemed to reach an agreement, and the screen went black for a moment before a new person came on.

George gasped. It was Prince Namor! She must have traveled back in time! He had gone missing slightly after World War II, never to be heard from again. He looked exactly the same as he had in her history textbooks, like he hadn't aged a day. She patted the device, still in her shirt, and worried about how she was going to get back to the 60s.

While she was worrying, Prince Namor had been giving orders to the men in the ship. She heard the name "Stark" and remembered that Howard Stark had worked a lot with the heroes during the War. The two men with her bowed and the screen shut off. One of the men started pressing buttons and the ship began to move. He paused a moment to pull what looked like a piece of paper out of the area where it had just printed.

The one who had saved her came over and said "Take to New York City" in a very strange accent, but with a gentle smile on his face. His deep voice immediately put George at ease and she nodded to show her understanding. His smile widened and he pointed at himself "Jamor." He pointed at his companion and said "Achak." He pointed at George expectantly.

"George," she replied, glad that her teeth had stopped chattering so much. He smiled again and went over to a cabinet. He brought over some bars that looked like they were made of seaweed. He mimed biting one.

George nodded again and bit off the corner of the bar he handed her. It was salty, but surprisingly good. She munched happily on it and smiled up at Jamor. He gave a short laugh and wiped off some crumbs that had stuck to her cheek. Once she had finished eating, Jamor pointed over to the control panel. "I help Achak. You sleep?"

George gave a sleepy smile and began to nod off. The last thing she remembered was Jamor gently readjusting the blanket around her.

≈ψ≈

George woke up the exact moment when they left the water. With a slight shudder, the ship began to fly; at least that's what it looked like out of the front window. Jamor and Achak were bickering slightly and not really paying attention.

Suddenly a shot of flame streaked across the sky, and Achak grabbed the controls and brought the ship to a halt. Jamor opened the top and climbed out carrying the paper that they had printed out earlier.

George heard something land on the roof with a thump and footsteps. A man's voice, muffled, but George thought he was speaking in English, spoke for a few minutes, then yelled out something and was gone.

Jamor climbed back in and told her laboriously "Human Torch", trying to get all the syllables correct.

"Oh," she said as Achak started the ship again. Jamor patted her on the head and then went to go help Achak. George thought about why the Human Torch would stop them. The other super-hero probably wanted to know what Atlanteans were doing in the city. She recalled that the Human Torch and Namor had a huge fight over New York once, and she wondered if this was before or after that.

Achak and Jamor landed the ship with a thud and Jamor informed her "Stark Building."

George nodded and Jamor helped her stand up and nearly carried her out the hatch. They landed on the top of the building and Jamor pointed out a door to her. George tried to hand him back the blanket but he refused to accept it and smiled at her.

"Thank you Jamor," George said and hugged him impulsively. His arms wrapped around her and she could tell how hard he was trying to be gentle for her comparatively fragile frame.

"Goodbye George" he replied after he stepped back, and gave her a half bow. She smiled and waved as he climbed back into the ship and it took off. It looked rather like an insect from the outside. A sparkly, multicolored insect.

She turned towards the door and walked towards it. At least, if anyone could figure out the mysterious object, it would be Howard Stark.

She walked down a flight of stairs and opened the first door she came to. It led to a hallway and she had barely walked a few steps when Captain America ran around the corner.

"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed and stood there with her mouth open. She hadn't even considered that she might meet the legend himself.

"Uh, hello Miss. The Human Torch just told us that the Atlanteans had found you in the middle of the ocean and Namor decided to send you here. Are you alright? Can we call anyone for you?"

"Y-you're Captain America!" she cried, still trying to wrap her head around the idea. "Oh! I'm fine, but I think I traveled through time. Is this the 40s?"

Captain America gave a short laugh and said "No, this is the year 2010."

"B-but Prince Namor was back and didn't look any different from the pictures and there were Atlanteans and the Human Torch and we're in the Stark Building and you're here!"

Captain America looked surprised but understanding. "What year did you come from?" he asked gently.

"1964. I was on a boat with my friends and we found this thing," she presented the object, "and then I fell in the water and the Atlanteans picked me up."

"What's your name, Miss?"

"Uh, George Fayne."

"Well, Miss Fayne, I think that you have had a string of very odd coincidences that led you to believe that you had traveled back in time when actually you traveled forward. Prince Namor appeared again a decade or two ago and he doesn't age much. The Atlanteans and the surface world have much more contact these days. The Human Torch that you encountered is actually the second Human Torch, a member of the Fantastic Four. And as for me, I was frozen in ice but discovered by the Avengers and unfrozen."

"Oh. That actually makes sense. That's why Jamor and Achak had such cool technology! It's the future!"

"Here, let's go ask Tony Stark, the son of Howard Stark, to see if we can get you home," Captain America told her and beckoned down the hallway.

She followed, looking in wonder at all the new technology surrounding her. Panels in the walls had color TV broadcasts on them. The elevator that they took was so fast that she felt slightly sick. Captain America had talked into a little device, apparently to Tony Stark, who could reply back.

They reached a pair of doors that slid open and a man that looked a lot like Howard Stark came forward in a stained shirt and jeans.

"Hello, George was it? I'm Tony Stark and I heard that you have something for me to look at."

"Yeah, this thing. I accidentally put my finger in the hole and then it brought me here," she handed over the object. Tony raised his eyebrows and started muttering to himself. He brought up a transparent screen and started examining it.

Cap and George watched him for a moment, but then George had an idea. "Excuse me, is there any way that I could see if my cousin or my friend are still around. They might remember what happened," she asked Cap.

"Sure," he walked over to a desk with a screen on it. "This is a computer, it has all sorts of information it can access. What were the names of your friends?"

"Well, my cousin's name was Elizabeth Marvin, but she might have gotten married or something."

Cap typed in the name and clicked several times. "Elizabeth, or Bess, Eddleton maiden name Marvin currently lives in Los Angeles, California. She is currently in the hospital after a heart attack."

"She married Burt? But he was my boyfriend! Oh-I guess it probably wouldn't be too good for her to see me then? Try Nancy Drew."

"Nancy Hardy, formerly Nickerson, formerly Drew lives in New York City with her husband. They have just returned from bringing down a crime ring in Turkmenistan."

"Where's that? Is that in the Soviet Union?"

"Um, I'm not sure if I should tell you that," Cap considered. "If we send you back it might mess something up."

"Alright. What's her phone number?"

"Here, I dialed it already. Just press the green button," Cap said to her as he handed her a phone. She stared at it a moment, wondering how it worked without a cord, before giving up and hitting the green button. She held the phone up to her ear.

"Hello, Hardy residence," a man's voice greeted.

"Yes, I'd like to speak to Nancy please," George asked hesitantly.

"Just one moment," he replied and she heard him yell Nancy's name.

"Hello?" her friend's voice came through after a moment.

"Hi Nancy. This is George Fayne," George said cautiously.

"Oh my goodness! George! Is it really you? You're alive! Where are you? How did you survive falling in the ocean?" Nancy sobbed once.

"Yes I'm alive! The device that we found made me travel through time. I just got here. I'm in the Stark Building. Don't cry Nancy, please," George pleaded.

Cap and Tony both looked over sharply when they heard her reply. They started talking together earnestly.

"Have you called Bess? I think she's out in California somewhere…oh dear where is that address book?" Nancy asked, and George was struck by how old she sounded.

"Bess is in the hospital for a heart attack, according to the um…computer that Captain America used. I didn't think I should shock her."

"Bess is in the hospital? Poor thing, I haven't talked to her in years. I told her she should watch her weight…" Nancy muttered. "Wait, did you say you were with Captain America?"

"Yes, the Atlanteans brought me to the roof of Stark Tower and he was the first one I saw."

"I think that we need to start over. Will they let me come and visit?"

"Excuse me? Captain America? Mr. Stark? May my friend come over? I promise she's trustworthy," George asked the two men who were still talking quietly to each other.

"Yes. Tell her I'll have someone meet her in the lobby," Tony answered and then went right back to talking with Steve.

George relayed the information to Nancy, who said she would be there within an hour, traffic permitting.

"Is your real name George?" Tony asked as soon as she handed the phone to Captain America to hang up.

"It's Georgia, but no one except my parents ever calls me that," George replied.

"And how do you spell Fayne?" George told him.

Tony typed for a moment on the computer, clicked a couple times and then read out loud from an article.

"Georgia Fayne died August 14, 1964 after falling off a yacht. Body never found, Elizabeth Marvin and Nancy Drew were investigated, charged with trespassing, but were released after bail was posted. It looks as though you never went back. Which means, if we sent you back we would be altering the time stream, which is bad. Very bad."

"So I can't go back? Not ever?" George asked.

"Sorry, but it could create a different reality or something. We'll look into it, but it looks like you might be stuck here," Tony said.

"I know the feeling, if you need any help adjusting..." Captain America offered. She nodded.

Tony and Captain America suddenly both realized that she was standing in damp clothes with a blanket wrapped around her.

"I'll see if one of the girls has some clothes that you could borrow. Steve, will you show her where a shower is?" Tony asked. George thanked Tony as Captain America led her out of the room.


End file.
